After looking at all the current crop of workstations, and the current crop of controllers with piano action, I brought home a MR-76 to check out.

First of all it has great piano action rivalling the Kurzweil PC88 and the Roland RD-500 (Actually its preference, but I think I really like the Ensoniq feel better.)

The sounds are very good. But as always with Ensoniq, you must know how to use them. The piano and electric piano sounds are not the best sounds, but are very useable and in some registers, beautiful.

The synth sounds are great with Transwaves, bringing to mind the sound of my Wavestation. Plenty of washes, pads, and ringing sounds, as well as leads and basses for any application.

But by far the best sounds are the drums and percussion. Very strong. 808 sets, Rock, jazz, pop, reggae, and the samples are different, not just the same kit with different names. This is one area to spend time checking out in the store.

The sequencer is very easy to use, letting you bring sounds, phrases you just played from the "Idea Pad", or pre-set rhythms from the very nice drum machine.

The effects are very good if not overdone, and they integrate well with the sequencer so you dont lose the feel of the sound by putting into a sequence.

Overall, I give the MR-76 a 8.5 out of 10.

Pros: Good assortment of sounds, GREAT drums, cool synth sounds, VERY easy to work with. VERY nice piano action.

Cons: Not my personal favorite piano/EP sounds. Organ a bit weak.

Comments About the Sounds:
The synth-type sounds and drums are where this instrument shines. But, 14 mb of RAM was spent wisely. The BRas, woodwinds, and strings were paid attention too. As with any instrument, not every sample is a beauty, but Id have to say 75% of the acoustic, orchestral sounds were right on if you know how to play it.

The Synth sounds using Ensoniq's TransWaves is where this synth blows others away. You have to know how to use them, and when, but they are great for industrial, rave, and techno.

And the drums...wow. All the drums Ive been looking for are here. You will not be disapppointed if dums is what you need.